Trae Young Compares Celtics Fans to Knicks Fans

According to Trae Young, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks both have passionate fan bases.

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Trae Young struggled in the Atlanta Hawks’ 112-99 loss to the Boston Celtics. The Hawks guard scored 16 points in Game 1, well below his season average of 26.2 points per game.

It seems Young’s underwhelming performance can be partially credited to the fans at TD Garden.

As reported by Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, Young compared the Celtics’ home crowd to that of the New York Knicks.

"Both places are very loud. Boston fans, although they’re rowdy and cheering for their (team), they’re a little more respectful. They weren’t yelling F.U. in the first quarter. That’s the only difference."

The comparison is more significant when considering the animosity between Young and the Knicks fan base.

The rivalry started during the Hawks-Knicks series from the 2021 playoffs. This was New York’s first postseason appearance after a seven-year drought.

In Game 1, Young scored a game-winning floater and then made shushing gestures towards the crowd at Madison Square Garden. During the final minute of Game 5, the last of the series, Young took a bow after his three-point shot increased the Hawks' lead to 12. 

TRAE YOUNG TAKES A BOW IN MSG AFTER ELIMINATING KNICKS. 🍿👀 pic.twitter.com/L6i5A0S65H

— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) June 3, 2021

Since then, the Knicks fan base tends to passionately boo Young whenever Atlanta travels to New York. It’s so intense that WWE had Young make a special guest appearance at a Madison Square Garden show to generate extra heat.

The King of NY is back in The Garden!

🥶 @TheTraeYoung 🥶

(via @WWEonFOX)pic.twitter.com/lpNvqLvqdw

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 11, 2021

The next game of the Celtics-Hawks series is scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 pm. Young will find out if his second postseason appearance at TD Garden also matches the intensity of New York.